South Africa closes popular black newspaper

By
The Associated Press /
March 23, 1988

Johannesburg

The South African government Tuesday shut down an anti-apartheid newspaper for 12 weeks, contending the New Nation threatened public safety. A decree issued by Home Affairs Minister Stoffel Botha said further issues of the black-oriented weekly newspaper are ``totally prohibited'' through June 10.

The move came a day after the newspaper, published by the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, lost a court appeal to forestall government action while it challenged state-of-emergency censorship regulations.

With a circulation of 50,000 to 60,000, New Nation is the largest in South Africa to devote virtually its entire content, including sports and entertainment sections, to politically-related developments. It's editor, Zwelakhe Sisulu, has been detained without charge for 16 months.

Emergency law gives Pretoria nearly unlimited powers to deal with newspapers it feels contribute to unrest. In a warning to the paper, Botha cited several items he said threatened public safety, promoted revolution, and enhanced the image of banned groups, including:

A picture of Oliver Tambo, head of the outlawed African National Congress.

An advertisement quoting a Psalm and urging Pretoria to abolish torture.